The
Sperlonga sculptures are a large and elaborate ensemble of ancient sculptures discovered in 1957 in the grounds of the former villa of the Emperor
Tiberius at
Sperlonga, on the coast between Rome and
Naples. As reconstructed, the sculptures were arranged in groups around the interior of a large natural grotto facing the sea used by Tiberius for dining; many scholars believe he had the sculptures installed. The groups show incidents from the story of the
Homeric hero
Odysseus, and are in
Hellenistic "baroque" style, "a loud, full-blown baroque", but are generally thought to date to the early Imperial period.